Today we live in a culture of more…some might disagree. That’s alright; it’s my blog, my opinion. 😉 However, as we have seen in the recent election, while many have made loud proclamations about wanting to help those ‘in need’ – by whatever definition they used – those same proclaimers all retreated safely back into their personal sanctuaries of more. That in itself doesn’t bother me as much as lying to me about their motives, which I guess were transparent for those who had eyes to see.
…but – What is ‘more’? It’s a word we use a lot. The dictionary tells me it is “a greater quantity, amount, number, or degree; something of greater importance.”
The truth is, I, too, want more. As we head into the winter season with shorter days and longer nights, I want more sunshine. You see, I am prone to SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder, so unless I am vigilant the enemy pounces as soon as Daylight Savings Time ends…and I’m not always vigilant.
I want more time with my adult children – two of whom live out of state – because, besides being mad about them, I just like my kids and their spouses; they are fun people! And, it goes without saying that I would love more time with my grandchildren, all six of whom live out of state. Being a spiritual influence in their lives had been a dream of mine and my husband’s since before any of them were born. That’s still not impossible, of course, but quite difficult without at least weekly interaction.
And while I’m working on my more list, I’d like more vitality in this earthly body and less pain so that I can be as active and athletic as I used to be…just sayin’.
Honestly, I feel lost sometimes in my faith journey. I thought by the time I reached this point in my life that I would have it all settled…funny, isn’t it? I mean, when I was in my thirties I believed we had this faith and church thing down, but then things exploded at my home church and my husband and I had to face some hard realities about men and clay feet and being blind followers. We did, and we haven’t (been blind followers) since then, but sometimes it seems like it would be easier if we were…
So, I want more direction in my faith journey…and more passion for His church. A worship song we used to sing years ago was called, “More Love, More Power.” The lyrics were written by Michael W. Smith, but I believe I heard it on a Vineyard CD. Nevertheless, even then, back in the late ’80’s and early 90’s when we still thought we knew everything, we were asking for more…more, Lord; please give us more than we have of You.
I wonder…is it Biblical to ask for more? Is it spiritual? Am I implying that God is ‘holding out on me’ and simply isn’t ‘good enough,’as psychologist, teacher, and author Larry Crabb once suggested in his book, Finding God? I guess it depends on my attitude, whether I am humble or demanding, but…
If so, we’re in good company; Paul prayed that the love of the Ephesians “would abound still more and more in knowledge and discernment,” (1:9). There are plenty of examples of ‘more’ being used in Scripture; I know, I have a Concordance and I counted. 🙂 I even looked some of them up and read them…you can, too.
The point is, while I believe the Scripture in 2 Peter 1:3, (as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust,) I also know that our walking into that truth is a lifelong process. Did you get that? I’ll say it, again: it’s a lifelong process. Therefore, as another out of date chorus says that has popped into my head this week – I need You more:
I need you more, more than words can say.
I need you more, than ever before
I need you, Lord, I need you, Lord.More than the air I breathe, more than the song I sing
More than the next heartbeat, more than anything.
And lord, as this time goes by, I’ll be by your side
Cause I never want to go back to my old life.I need you more, more than yesterday
I need you more, more than words can say.
I need you more, than ever before
I need you, Lord, I need you, Lord.